The First Alaska Native Day 2014
Dr. Lauren Peters, PhD, enrolled member Community of Saint Paul Island Alaska, Unangax̂
The first Alaska Native Day (AND) flowed from a conversation between myself-Lauren Peters and Fort Ross Conservancy (FRC) following the 2012 bicentennial of Fort Ross festival. Fort Ross which sits on the traditional lands of the Kashia Pomo called Metini, was open from 1812 to 1841 and was populated by a few Russians and Russian Europeans but mostly by their workforce from Alaska.
In the manager Ivan Kuskov’s census, there were 156 Alaskan Natives and only 38 Russians. Most everything you can see at Fort Ross was built or planted by Alaska Natives predominately from Kodiak Island and the Aleutian Islands but also from coastal tribes such as Dena’ina, Eyak, Tsimsian, Tlingit, and Haida. However, at the 2012 festival, only Russians were represented. The few nods to Alaska Native history were non-native people dressing up in costumes. It was cartoonish and insulting. In 2013 my family and I attended the next Fort Ross Festival to share our history. Some Russian visitors were angry that our presence disrupted their Russian vision of a Russian-American utopia.
In 2014 Fort Ross Conservancy planned the first Alaska Native Day. It was well attended. The highlight was a race in Sandy Cove paddling our traditional Qayaq. FRC invited local ”experts” to educate visitors about our history. For Alaska Natives in attendance, it was uncomfortable because it was other people speaking about us like we didn’t exist. In 2015 AND was planned by Alaska Natives. The Kashia community met the Aleutian Islanders at the Cove. With our feet in the ocean, we said that we are sorry that we overfished otter from their waters. We were under duress and didn’t have a choice but still we did you harm. The Kashia answered that we are welcome onto Kashia lands and want to thank you for teaching the Russians that killing us was not the best way of colonizing. Because you died, Kashia lived. Then we all walked up to the dance circle and danced together for the first time in 200 years.
Alaskan Native Day has become an annual event held each May to celebrate Alaska Native history at Metini/Fort Ross. We come together and practice our culture, sharing traditional foods and becoming a community. All are welcome to join us.
Alaska Native Day 